Michael Anthony Williams (born June 16, 1962) is an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

who competed from 1984 to 2000. In the 1990 film ''

Rocky V ''Rocky V'' is a 1990 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen (the first time since the first film of the franchise), written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to ''Rocky IV'' (1985) and is the fifth install ...

'', he played the role of boxer Union Cane.

Boxing career

Known as "Mercury", Williams turned professional in 1984 and was considered a rising prospect after winning his first 13 fights, including a win over

James Tillis James Tillis (born July 5, 1957) is a retired American professional boxer and actor. Known as "Quick", he was known for his fast hand speed, quite astonishing for a man of his size and build. A natural southpaw, Tillis turned around to orthodo ...

. In 1987, he stepped up and lost a split decision to the former champion

Tim Witherspoon Tim Witherspoon (born December 27, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1979 to 2003. He was a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the WBC title in 1984, and the WBA title in 1986. Witherspoon also wo ...

. The following year, he lost by TKO to Buster Douglas. In the 1990s, he lost to other notable heavyweights Alex Garcia and

Corrie Sanders Cornelius Johannes "Corrie" Sanders (7 January 1966 – 23 September 2012) was a South African professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2008. He won the WBO heavyweight title in 2003 after knocking out Wladimir Klitschko in two rounds, wh ...

and retired in 2000 after a TKO loss to Lawrence Clay Bey, having won 22 and lost 6 with 14 KO.

Acting career

Williams portrayed the fictional heavyweight champion of the world Union Cane in ''

''. In the movie, he was soundly defeated in one round by Tommy Gunn. Williams also played background characters in various other films, such as '' A Soldier's Story'', ''

Full Metal Jacket ''Full Metal Jacket'' is a 1987 war drama film directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The film is based on Hasford's 1979 novel ''The Short-Timers'' and stars Matthew M ...

'', ''

Another 48 Hrs. ''Another 48 Hrs.'' is a 1990 American buddy cop film directed by Walter Hill (director), Walter Hill and starring Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte, Brion James, Andrew Divoff, and Ed O'Ross. It is the sequel to the 1982 film ''48 Hrs.'' Nolte reprises h ...

'', ''

Ali ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...

'', ''

Losing Isaiah ''Losing Isaiah'' is a 1995 American drama film starring Jessica Lange and Halle Berry, directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal. It is based on the novel of the same name by Seth Margolis. The screenplay is written by Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal. The origin ...

'', ''

Soldier Boyz ''Soldier Boyz'' is a 1995 action film directed by Louis Mourneau and starring Michael Dudikoff. It was written by Darryl Quarles. The film revolves around a group of convicts on a mission in Vietnam to rescue the daughter of a rich man. Plot The ...

'', ''

The Boys Club ''The Boys Club'' is a 1996 Canadian crime drama thriller film directed by John Fawcett, written by Doug Smith (story) and Peter Wellington (writer), and starring Chris Penn, Devon Sawa, Dominic Zamprogna, and Stuart Stone. It was released ...

'', '' The Replacements'', '' A Sense of Entitlement'' and '' The Brave One''. He also appeared in some TV shows, such as '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' and '' The F.B.I. Files''.

Professional boxing record

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Mike 20th-century American male actors African-American boxers African-American male actors American male boxers American male film actors Living people National Golden Gloves champions People from Lafayette, Louisiana Boxers from Louisiana Heavyweight boxers 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people 1962 births